'Back to School' week on TV's Great British Bake Off proves 'testing' for Coleraine's Iain

Drawing inspiration from traditional school dinner menus, the amateur bakers in the massively popular Ch4 show were challenged to create their versions of the cosy classics.

Up first, in the latest episode which aired on Tuesday, September 23, was the signature challenge – create 12 flapjacks with a filling or topping.

Coleraine’s Iain mixed his love of banana bread with the oat-based flapjack recipe to produce what he called ‘Iain’s Banana Jack’ flapjacks.

Despite taking a break for ‘playtime’ by jumping the fence of the baking tent to run around outside, Iain still managed to come up with a dozen flapjacks for the judges to taste. However, judge Paul Hollywood’s verdict was “slightly underbaked”.

Then it was on to the technical challenge where the bakers had to recreate a traditional school cake – vanilla sponge decorated with hand-made sprinkles and custard.

This time, Iain’s hearty creation saw him take third place out of the competing bakers.

Finally, it was showstopper time and the bakers were challenged to depict a School Summer Fete using at least one large bake and 12 smaller ones, using three different disciplines of baking.

Iain’s showstopper – entitled ‘The Auld Summer Fete Stall’ – featured an old style computer monitor, a lemon-flavored hook-a-duck stall and chocolate building blocks.

Enjoying the taste of the showstopper, judge Prue Leuth said the cake has great flavour but was ‘gritty’. Paul Hollywood said: “Overall I think you struggled. It wasn’t as good as I know you can do.”

In the end, Iain’s performances over the three challenges were enough to ‘give him a good mark’ and send him through to the next episode.

Speaking at the end of the programme, he said: “I was 100% convinced I was gone – now I just have to get through chocolate week!”